Scale Discrepency...what to believe?


(Heather Meyer) #1

Okay… so i hadnt weighed in 1 month since starting.

I started at 270.6

They had to weigh me on the scale at Drs office and it was night time and dressed in blue jeans and shirt(bladder full). Scale said
258.6

I normally only weigh once a month in the morning after first morning pee, in my birthday suit. So i did today. The scale said 250.6.

So i have either lost 12 pounds or lost 20 pounds. How do i decipher which is the accurate weight?


(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

My opinion. You’re comparing granny smith to macintosh apples. Scales are different unless calibrated to each other. That said, between your bathroom scale and the balance beam scale at the doctor’s office, I’d go with the doctor’s scale being the more accurate of the two. But so what? You’re not using the doctor’s scale at home and you’re not weighing yourself fully clothed and full of water. The most important thing is consistency: which you accomplish at home. So even if your home scale is not as accurate, it will still give you an overall trend. That trend over time is more significant than any individual reading. Also, I wouldn’t worry about fractional numbers. Your scale is not accurate enough to give you reliable fractions of pounds, just go with the nearest whole number. Finally, others may disagree, but I think while actively trying to lose weight, weekly weigh-ins are more useful than monthly.

Bottom line, you’ve lost some weight (probably at least 10 pounds!) during your first month which is good news. You just don’t know exactly how much. So what? The overall trend is great.


(Windmill Tilter) #3

Scales never lie, they just measure something tangentially related to your actual goals. The scale doesn’t know whether it’s weighing water, muscle, fat or pants, yet those things are the things that are actually relevant to you.

Better men than I have been reduced to madness by that simple device; I avoid it at all costs! :yum:

In all seriousness though, the sooner you focus on inches around the waist and booty, the happier you will be. I can easily gain 20lbs in a week without materially changing my body composition. The tape barely budges. Trust the tape!

In answer to your actual question though, personally I’d go with 20lbs. :+1::+1::+1:


(Heather Meyer) #4

thanks…i think im going to because i definitly lost inches… I am currently in search of my booty cause its gone as flat as a pancake. Im also in search of my pants frequently because they fall off at the worst moments possible- like the grocery store!


(Allie) #5

Count the inches lost instead, much more important than either reading.


(John) #6

Pick a scale as your reference scale, and use that one. It may be off by 5 pounds, from your “actual” weight, but if it shows a 20 pound loss, the change in weight is probably correct.

I have on a couple of occasions calibrated my home scale to what fancier scales show my weight to be - doctor’s office beam scales and an industrial digital packaging scale where I work. I then weigh myself at home with the exact same clothing on, as soon as possible after the other weighing.

From that, I believe my home scale weight to be about 2 pounds lighter than my actual weight. But I use the numbers it shows as my official weight.

I only weigh in the mornings, after any elimination needs but before consuming anything, wearing underwear only. I also make sure to put it on the exact same spot on the floor each time, not knock it around much, and never adjust the zero calibration knob.

If I only needed to lose 5 pounds or so, then I might want it to be super accurate. But really, the difference between 200 and 205 is pretty meaningless when my real goal is 175 to 180. It’s just a progress indicator. When I get down into the 180s maybe I’ll buy a new scale.


(Heather Meyer) #7

yah i do the same. I put it in the exact same spot on the floor every time and dont touch the calobration on it.